Writing Status - *Cringes*
Mood - Overwhelmed
Playing on itunes - Absolution by Muse
I have a confession to make -- I'm teetering on the brink of a meltdown.
It started out innocently enough. I decided to do a tour for Dead, Undead and contacted the wonderful people at Goddess Fish to get going. Within a week, it was a go. Then, I got the news...it was time to edit Eternity and a Day.
No problem, right? I can juggle three things at once (reviews, Dead, Eternity). Then, I got an email about Crimson Sunrise. As a new rule at TWRP it has to be sent out to two test readers before it can go to the Sr. Editor for contract consideration, so it may or may not be accepted.
Now, herein lies my problem.
When I submitted Crimson Sunrise, it was ROUGH (disastrously so). I told my editor this when I gave it to her. It's been very, VERY, loosely edited, and needs substantial revisions, building, etc. I figured I would get an idea if she liked the direction of the material (Crimson Moon was always intended to be the first story in a trilogy), and if not, tuck it away and forget about it. Now I know I need to get off my bohonkus and clean up the MS, give it some meat, and try to make an enjoyable story out of it. Knowing they might not accept it isn't the issue, but rather, I know I'll be saving myself one hell of a headache by getting this done now if they do.
That means I'll be juggling two stories for edits/revisions (Eternity and Sunrise), doing the tour, and slowing down on my reading (which is something I've known I have to do for a while now). It also tells me that all the writing I've been dying to start will be put on hold again, and it's extremely frustrating. I suppose this is what happens when you've horded MS's for six-months, only to send them out later at the same time.
Note to self: Write one book at a time and submit one at a time.
Does anyone have any helpful ideas on how to avoid this? Or if not, how do you deal with edits, promo, and finding the time to write?
8 comments:
How do I deal with it? I tear my hair out, lol. This happens to all of us, Jaime. It's been happening to me for about three months now. I have yet to start any new writing because I haven't had the time, and like you, that drives me slowly insane. Can you hear my hair hitting the floor? Advice? Let me know when you get some :).
Oh girl-- that's a problem I'm trying to avoid! I know me when it comes to submitting more than one MS and dealing with multi edits and pubs at a time. It does become overwhelming. I only submit one at a time. But that's me.
There are those who do the multi thing well-- Like Shelley M. Catherine B. and Helen H. Maybe they can help with suggestions.
Otherwise, good luck and I feel your pain now!
Hey Helen and Kaye,
Right now, I'm trying to pace myself and keep the freak-out at bay. Thanks for the kind words of support.
And Helen, if I figure something out, you know I'll share it! ;)
Well, gee, and here I was trying to bust my buns to get that vamp story done so I could send it to you. Now I know to wait.
I don't know how to juggle stuff, cause I always seem to schedule things simultaneously.
What I have found does help and you can thank M for this, is a timer list. Seriously. Go like in 45 min increments, but have a list - like today i want to get chapters two and three in shape, write review for X, and do pp 34-78 revisions on YZA. Then use the timer to pace yourself. You can always give yourself another couple minutes if you're on a roll, or you can say, K my time is up, i'll move on and then when I go back to this, I'll be fresh again.
That's what I have to do when I have Reviews to build, edits, and, oh that random story stuck in my head.
Welcome to the world of writers, Jaime :)
Two words - you can't! If you want to write, this is what your life will be like. There are long periods of waiting and then frantic activity when you think you're never gonna make it. I'm working on edits for two books at present and once that's done I want to finish my current WIP before I go on holiday in April. My advice - take a deep breath, make a list and start ticking things off. Lists help keep me sane.
Oh, and I'd probably wait on a decision before I did anything with Crimson Sunrise. Finish the other stuff first because if they accept it they might want something completely different and your hard work would be wasted. JMO
Hey Wendi and Shelley,
Send it along Wendi, I'll see what I can do. If anything, I can read it over and let you know what I think. ;-)
And you know what Shell? I was thinking the same thing today while en route to the Dr. I'm just going to hold off and wait. No sense in doing all the work if it's not going to matter (or will have to be redone regardless).
Thanks for the advice, ladies!
Not really, as I tend to get overloaded too...(and as I prepare to submit 2 books back-to-back, LOL)
Good luck with figuring everything out! :)
I wish I had a magic wand to help you... cuz, yanno, I understand "overwhelmed". You just gotta do the best you can. And, heck, allow yourself the occasional meltdown. I do. *G*
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